Just publish

I found the Do Lectures today. Similar to TED, these talks highlight great ideas and bring them to the public via the use of video. Unlike TED, each speaker is required to issue a "Do" statement, requesting that the audience take action.

In his "Do" Talk, which can be found below, Craig Mod, focuses on how digital media is giving the publishing world a new life rather than destroying it.

Mod wrote Kickstartup, which documents how he used Kickstarter to get his book Art Space Tokyo published after it had been out of print. He states that this model can be recreated by anyone in order to re-think what it means to publish in a digital world.

In his talk, Mod's request or "Do" was that everyone:

1. Read digital artifacts


2. Publish

In a world where text can now become interactive and the restrictions that prevent publishing have become almost zero, the value of publishing as an educational pathway has never been more evident.

But I don't mean having students writing a blog for grade and for the blog to have no meaning. Good writing does not come from pressure to preform for a grade, good writing starts with a passion.

If students engage in something that matters to them, are given a voice, and develop an audience, learning WILL happen.

If the passion is there, it will be nurtured and fed. If the passion is there, a community will develop. If the passion is there, the student will become an AUTHOR.

If every student published a blog that was driven by their passion, learning will happen not because it was required by the teacher for a grade but because the student cared. Learning is not something you force. It is something that grows. If we give students a platform for a passion, it will can become the perfect vehicle for learning while also providing them a sense of self worth and pride.

So, do me a favor and have each of your students grant Mod's request - Just Publish

Thirty Conversations on Design

"Thirty Conversations on Design" documents what some of the most creative professionals think of design. While there were a number of great talks, and I suggest you take a look, there were a few that stood out to me

This included a talk by Emily Pilloton, who describes how learning can be reshaped by using design principles. She runs Project H Design, which is dedicated to "the re-thinking of environments, products, experiences, and curricula for K-12 education institutions in the US."

Another education related talk was Dan Pink, who discusses using design to reshape systems.  In particular, he focuses on how we should not be optimizing current systems, which has been the traditional practice but rather use design thinking to create new approaches to solving our biggest problems within education and other systems like health care.

If you believe we must rethink how we approach what, how and where students learn, I challenge you to take a deeper look into design thinking and how it can be a catalyst for actual reform within systems like education.

To learn more, visit

K-12 Lab @ Standford's d.school

Project H Design

Nueva School

Requirements for change

The word change has different connotations depending upon who you are. For some, it incites fear. For others, it is thrilling and the focus of their work. In my experience, leadership is about harnessing an ability to be visionary and anticipate change while also being able to understand your colleagues, their predispositions towards change, meet them where they are and be persistent in the support of your vision in order to successfully implement that change.

Vision

For many leaders, this is the easy part. Vision is an ability to see possibilities, to envision a better school through certain changes, understanding that like every other industry, your world changes and to stay relevant you must be able to adapt to that change. When a leader is able to look forward and has a clear vision to what school must include, she is taking the first step. There are many school leaders that embody this idea but a couple that stand out are Chris Lehmann and George Couros. If you want to understand why vision is so important, read up on these men. They are true visionaries.

Understanding

Almost more importantly, understanding your faculty and their inclinations towards change is vital to a successful implementation of a clear vision. While you should not limit your vision because your faculty may not all be supportive, you must understand where your faculty are and be able to find a path for them to reach your vision on their own terms. For a school leader to be able to implement her vision, she must be able to find methods that meet their faculty half way. Understanding and acknowledging  their biases while giving them incentive to think forward will lead to a greater chance of success.

Instituting mandates to create change will not work. Ensure that you create a cohort of supporters who will readily test your vision in order to provide you data. In addition, provide your reluctant adopters the time and support to explore your vision on their own terms. They may not value your vision at first but that's where persistence comes into play.

Persistence

To ensure a successful change in a school, a leader must be persistent. When a leader does not give up and makes an idea the cornerstone of her success, the faculty will understand that it will not simply go away. That being said, keep the idea manageable. Ensure that your faculty will not be biting off more than they can chew at one time. If the vision is powerful yet manageable and your support for it is persistent, the faculty will understand that they cannot simply avoid it. In turn, the vision will begin to receive traction, data will begin to be collected to validate and if successful, the idea will become accepted by the community.

Change will initially be met by challenges but a leader who has a clear vision, understands her faculty, maps out a clear path to meet them half way and is persistent in continuing to stick to the vision will ultimately find success.

Photo Credit: Scott McLeod

Time Perspectives and Education

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3oIiH7BLmg&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Yesterday I watched this talk given by Phillip Zimbardo, a psychologist and professor at Stanford University. In the talk, he focuses on how cultures are divided by perspectives of time and uses education as a case study. He broke it down the differences into being “past oriented” or “future oriented”.

Past Oriented

Zimbardo states that our current model of education is a “past oriented” one: a culture that connects to adults and what they needed in order to function based upon their understanding of time. While this model was successful in the past, it has not successful for students today and is leading to a student dropout rate of one student every nine seconds.

Future Oriented

Current students on the other hand, are growing up in a digital age and are “future oriented”. Students are living in a world where they create and play. They are using digital technologies, playing video games, and their sense of time and what is important to them is vastly different from that of adults. Young adults are struggling with the current model of education, as their brains have been “digitally rewired”.

Conflict of Time Perspectives

As we deal with these two orientations, Zimbardo suggests that we do our best to balance this conflict of time perspectives. When thinking of the current education system, it is our job as educational innovators to do the following:

1. Do everything we can to help “past oriented” folks understand the shifts that are taking place and why they matter to how we teach;

2. work with our administrations and teachers to examine alternative paths that reach the “future oriented” students;

3. and find a balance so both “past oriented” teachers and “future oriented” students are successful.

If we can find that balance between the “past oriented” and “future oriented” cultures, our students will be more engaged and will want to be in school. Speak to your administrators, show them this video, and have frank conversations about what approaches work for your school’s culture and moves you closer to addressing the needs of a “future oriented” student body.

See below for examples of some schools that are implementing a different approach to address this problem. Hopefully these examples will help as you try to address the conflict of time perspectives at your respective school.

Links

• Philip Zimbardo


• Quest to Learn


• New York Harbor School


• Think Global School

Hacking Secondary Education

A great deal has been written about education reform. It seems as though there are as many approaches to reforming school as there are reformers. This is as true in secondary education as it is in higher education. To a certain degree, the principles behind reforming or “hacking” the educational system are uniform. In an era where technology is completely transforming how we connect, collaborate and create, the world of education is struggling to deal with this shift. In my mind there seem to be three areas where secondary educators can “hack” classroom and curriculum design.

Independent Learning

In an era where information is everywhere, educators must reexamine how and from where content is obtained. Students should receive a Google Reader account rather than a textbook. Information is no longer static, we should no longer be willing to accept that a textbook offers us the best option. Access to RSS feeds and direction from a teacher on what to look for, allows students to become curators of their own learning. When we empower students with the opportunity to learn on their own, while helping them understand what to look for, they take ownership of their learning and it inherently becomes more meaningful. In addition, using micro-blogging platforms like Twitter or creating using social bookmarking sites like Diigo allows the emphasis to be put on the students as curators of information rather than the teachers as the distrubtors of knowledge. When a student takes ownership of his or her learning, not only do we disrupt the current model but we create students who see begin to see the value of learning.

Authentic Learning

The end result of learning does not have to be a multiple choice test. When learning can be directly connected to something real, something tangible, something meaningful, students will rise to the occasion. This is not a unrealistic goal. With the advent of mobile devices like the iPhone, learning does not have to be restricted to the classroom. Using a number of applications on their phone, Math students learning about geometry could develop a greenhouse for their school. Following the CrisisCommons model and aiding their local community, a History class could learn about the 1950’s atomic culture by documenting all the public emergency locations on a Google Map and releasing it to the public. No matter the discipline, there are opportunities to make learning a real and meaningful experience that goes beyond the test.

Styles of Learning

To truly hack the secondary educational system, we need to have multiple tracks for students to take based upon their learning style. If a student is not a morning person, then he or she should be given the opportunity to take the majority of his or her core classes online at their leisure while coming into the physical school in the afternoon for labs or collaborative planning sessions. Online learning not only allows flexible schedules but also provides opportunities for students to learn through their strengths. Auditory learners can listen to recorded podcasts on any given topic. Visual learners could access a repository of videos. Online media can become an opportunity for students to master content on their own terms. Learning outcomes that are developed when a student is learning in his or her comfort zone will lead to a deeper understanding.

Conclusion

New technologies are transforming the way we operate on a daily basis. Many traditional institutions are struggling as they adapt. Secondary education is no different. The opportunities are there, the platforms are online, the information is available. It is now up to us to take the and ensure that our schools understand their options and realize that the status quo is not good enough as we move further into the 21st century and our students need to be prepared for an entirely different world.

Banning social media is a bad call

Last night I found this article. It is about Anthony Orsini, a principal in New Jersey, who is asking parents to ban all social media from their children. In a letter to parents Orsini wrote:

Please do the following: sit down with your child (and they are just children still) and tell them that they are not allowed to be a member of any social networking site. Today!Let them know that you will at some point every week be checking their text messages online! You have the ability to do this through your cell phone provider.

Let them know that you will be installing Parental Control Software so you can tell every place they have visited online, and everything they have instant messaged or written to a friend. Don't install it behind their back, but install it!

It is leadership like this that is misguided and more dangerous than prohibiting the technologies from the students. By banning social media you create a us vs. them scenario that is destined to create a greater rift between students and parents and schools.

Social media is not going away. If schools turn their head to the ubiquity of social media in our students lives not only will we push them away but we will be doing them a disservice as they will not be prepared for a world where connectivity drives all industries.

The only viable approach we can take is to educate our students, faculty and parents on the potential and danger with social technologies. To turn a blind eye to how our students communicate is dangerous but so is to ban all technologies. It is our responsibility to adapt to changes, understand how we can utilize them to best prepare our students while teaching them of the dangers as well.

Starting with Education Futures

This is a week late but better late than never, right?

I am starting the Open Course in Education Futures with George Siemens and Dave Cormier because I am not content with the status quo in education. While I consider myself to be ahead of the curve regarding implementing new practices or technologies in my classroom, I am only one person. In the past, I have worked to help my colleagues to understand current trends but I hope that this course will help improve my impact as an educational futurist.

Based upon our first reading, this course will be dedicated to understanding how to anticipate trends, plan for different scenarios, map out a vision and mission, create goals and implement strategies to ensure schools will be prepared for future challenges and changes.

Learning about and preparing for our educational futures is something that EVERY school must do. My hope is that this course will help me understand how to prepare for the massive changes we will continue to face. I want to be able to help a school prepare for the changes, draft a vision that a whole school can support  and help a school adjust to those changes while still embracing their particular culture.

Change is inevitable and if we are not properly prepared for it our schools will struggle to adapt. As I begin this course, my hope is that once I finish I will be able to extend my understanding of future trends and be better prepared to help a school adjust and be prepared for those potential futures.

If you feel the same way, you should join the class. We are only two weeks in.

Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

Driven to Distraction?

Today's Class

I am teaching a unit on "The Impact of New Media". This week our guiding question is "has the evolution of new media been a detriment?"

We watched "Distracted by Everything" a section from Digital Nation, a PBS documentary on how technology is impacting our lives.



My Questions

After watching the video, I asked my students:

"Would you be able to give up Facebook, gChat or BBM if you KNEW it would make you at least 2 times more productive with your work?"

100% of my students declined and said they would not give up their technologies even if they knew they could produce higher quality work in less time.

I then followed with:

"If the work was more engaging, would you give up your distractions?"

This time I got a resounding "Yes!"

This made me think.

My Reaction

The technologies that are available enrich our lives. This will only become increasingly more apparent.

That being said, in my mind, our challenge lies in the fact that the technologies that are currently distracting our students are doing so because our teaching has not evolved with our students.

I do not believe that the content we teach is necessarily wrong or that we should change to keep up with a technology but if our students are willing to be distracted, should we not reconsider how we teach that content?

My goal is to find that happy medium. Create curriculum that meets the benchmarks of a particular school while investigating the use of technology and differentiated learning to engage our students and ensure that they don't feel inclined to be distracted.

I have a challenge for everyone reading:

As we near the end of the year and begin planning your curriculum for next year.  Create learning opportunities that are more individualized, more authentic and that support student involvement and inquiry.

If we can do that, I think we'll be well on our way to pushing aside these distractions.

Posted via web from Dave Bill's Posterous

NUMMI and School Change

I was listening to This American Life last night. It was the show from two weeks ago. The episode focuses on a collaboration between GM and Toyota that began in 1984.

Decades leading up to the collaboration, a GM plant in Fremont, CA had been overrun by labor unions. Quantity took precedence over quality and there was no incentive for good work.  Employees at the plant did not like their job nor did they work hard.

The show focused on how NUMMI, the new collaborative plant in Fremont, CA, implemented a new culture and how its new employees struggled to spread the ideas started at the plant throughout the rest of GM.

The Start of NUMMI

To begin with, all employees were fired when the plant changed. Employees who wanted to be apart of the new plant, were sent to Japan and introduced to the Toyota Production System.  That system was based upon teamwork and quality over quantity.

While it took some time, the unions bought into the system and in turn NUMMI became the most successful plant in GM.

Despite the fact that NUMMI had been successful, the production model that Toyota had introduced had not been embraced by the rest of GM. This problem plagued GM up until early this decade but by then it was too late. GM was on the road to bankruptcy.

NUMMI and Education

I tell this story because I believe our schools are very similar to this story.  There are great school models out there. Many of them are moving away from that "industrial" model of teaching and implementing approaches that put the students at the center of the learning. Using models like the ones I refer to in my previous post, these schools have changed the culture and have created their own NUMMI.  The problem we face is very similar to that of GM.

The models are out there. There are "commandos" on the ground, ready to see schools change. Our challenge is to ensure these model are implemented more widely.

What can we do to ensure we do not become GM? I sure hope so.

Listen to the podcast, which is linked below and let me know what you think.

The Podcast

Episode 403 - NUMMI

Posted via email from Dave Bill's Posterous

Learners - In all shapes and sizes

Learners come in all shapes and sizes and there are opportunities for every student to access a learning style that suits his or her individual needs.  Whether it's restructuring curriculum , redesigning classrooms or utilizing online learning there are options that can help reach all learners.  It should be our goal to build models that provide options.  Schools now have the ability to create flexible learning spaces based upon the needs of its students.

Providing opportunities for each student is our goal.  Schools must recognize that to reach that goal we must look beyond our current model.  We must evaluate space, time, location, and approach when examining potential learning.  There are viable options right now that schools can incorporate into their culture.

Models

To obtain this goal of learning that suits the needs of all students there are options that can be implemented.

Kahn Academy

Online learning is nothing new but creating an option where students can learn on their own pace is something that can be easily incorporated into a school.  Allowing students to learn a subject, like Math, through a program like Kahn Academy has long term benefits for kids who "don't get it".  There needs to be face to face time to support that learning but online individualized learning has a big upside.

Generation Schools

Sometimes the model of the school can be improved to suit the needs of the community.  Generation Schools in New York, NY take an approach that challenges the traditional schedule and structure of the curriculum.

Classroom Design

Redesigning how and where we work is as important to the content itself.  Flexible learning spaces are essential to ensuring that learning is not confined to desks in row but rather a little bit of chaos.

Design Thinking

Speaking of chaos.  One of the ideas that has the most potential to provide opportunities for all learners is to follow the idea of Design Thinking.  A process made famous by IDEO and that focuses on groups working together, has a great deal of potential to solve problems and make learning authentic.  The book Change by Design has helped a great deal in shaping my thinking on this topic.  Here is an article by GOOD magazine on the importance of failure.  This whole idea will be a post for another day.

These models all have potential to help improve our schools we we move further into this new century.  And it will be classes like "Open Course in Education Futures", being taught by George Siemens and Dave Cormier, that can help schools understand these shifts.  Classes like that and reports that examine the "Impact of the Internet on Institutions of the Future" will help us move towards schools shifting and addressing the needs of all learners.

Technology is no longer the focus, it is the learning.  So forget about teaching blogging, let's focus on new models of teaching.

Posted via email from Dave Bill's Posterous

Drive: The Two Questions That Can Change Your Life

In full disclosure, I have yet to read "Drive" by Dan Pink. I know, I know.  It's on my to read list.  That being said, @antonioviva made me aware of this video.  The two questions are:

1. What one sentence would define you?

2. Was I better today than I was yesterday?

These two questions can help us to simplify and define our calling while motivating us to stay on target.  Whether it is personal goals or for our students, these two questions are powerful ones that we all should embrace and incorporate into our work.

Posted via email from Dave Bill's Posterous

Chaos and TEDxNYED

TEDxNYED, which was last weekend, has created a great deal of engagement.  Our Twitter hashtag is still being used, there have been a number of blog posts about what happened on Saturday and there is still a strong interest in repeating an event like TEDxNYED.

This engagement has also made me think about a few things (ok, a lot of things but i'll list three here):

1. The critiques of the format (See examples: one and two)

2.  Follow up - a want to continue the conversation

3. How this model can assist us through the chaos

The format

The TED format works on a number of levels.  It introduces ideas, inspires and drives conversation that can lead us to new understandings and directions. I am a big believer in what TED does offer: access to ideas.  For many those ideas can only be accessed online, there is access nonetheless and those ideas can start something bigger.

TEDxNYED did a number of things well as we attempted to follow the TED format.  We brought together a number of great minds and provided as much access to their ideas as possible.

That being said, we were limited to 275 seats and could have approached the attendee process differently but either way we would have disappoint many people.  Yes, interacting online is not the same but we attempted to provide forums for discussion by using our Facebook Fan page discussion boards and will work to develop the online community even more in the future.

While we were limited  by the number of physical attendees, our biggest problem was that TEDxNYED was designed for educators and focused primarily on education reform.  This is only a problem because when dealing with teachers who want reform, they NEED more of a take away than simply presenting ideas.  So, as we move forward we plan on addressing a few things.

What to fix

Conversation: Based upon arvind grover's idea, once the talks are up, we plan on hosting online discussions based upon the talks and inviting the speaker and any interested parties to come together and talk about what can be done to address the speaker's particular thesis.  That is just the start.

Action: Because ideas and brief conversations alone will not sustain teachers and administrators who are interested in educational reform, future versions of TEDxNYED and other TEDxED events will have a model that allows deep interaction and planning.  Based upon Dan Cohen's idea of using the THATCamp idea, we are envisioning a format that is potentially half a day of talks and half a day of a physical and virtual unconference.  The unconference would be the opportunity to unpack the ideas presented and envision what can be done to help implement those ideas.

Elitism: To ensure that we are not "elitist", I think creating more awareness through a number of mediums well before the event and then have a first come first serve sign up a few weeks before the event might equalize who can physically attend.  Again, the entire event would continue to be streamed live for those who can not attend.

Diversity: As for the problem of diversity, we must reach out to all communities that can improve education as well as have an open application process for speakers.  If you have other ideas, I am all ears.

Finding our way through the chaos

The goal of TEDxNYED was and will be to help educators learn about and implement ideas that will improve our schools.  Clay Shirky talks about how immediately after the introduction of the printing press there was 50 years of chaos as the masses adjusted to a new medium.  There were extremes. A number of people adopted the powerful printing press immediately and then there were the scribes who held on to their now outdated positions of power with all they could.  Stuck in the middle were the rest of the population trying to find their way.

In the world of education, we stand in a very similar situation.  TEDxNYED was started to help educators "in the middle" be introduced to ideas on how technology can improve the way we teach and learn.  While the ideas are at the core of what will help, it will be the action that will create the results and lead us out of chaos.  As we move forward we will improve this model so that we can address what needs to be fixed in order to improve teaching and learning.

If you think I am overlooking anything, like what i have to say, or think am just plain wrong please feel free to add your comments below.  I want to see TEDxNYED and the idea of TEDxED improve and hopefully meet the needs of ALL educators looking to improve their schools.

Expanding the model

As I mention in my previous post, my goal is to extend the TEDxED model to other cities.  To help shorten this period of chaos my hope is to have a number of events dedicated to using the TEDx model and incorporating a more action oriented approach.  I will be writing more about this in the coming weeks as we begin to plan the next steps for future TEDxED events.  Let me know if you are interested in contributing to the future of TEDxED.

Photo Credit: SpecialKRB

TEDxNYED - a look back

After months of planning, TEDxNYED finally happened on Saturday, March 6th.  We were filled to capacity with teachers, administrators and those passionate about the future of education.

Not only did we have a packed house but through a partnership with Livestream, we were able to stream the entire event and had over 20,000 views. Our hashtag had 2,871 tweets from over 1,100 tweeters and we were trending on Twitter for most of the day.  We accomplished our goal of reaching as many people as possible as we attempted to promote "Ideas (about education) Worth Spreading".  There seemed to be many people energized by TEDxNYED.  While there was a lot of energy about yesterday, I want to discuss and clarify a few things.

What TEDxNYED was

TEDxNYED was a conversation starter.  The talks were meant to be an opportunity for people to come together, listen to leaders in the worlds of media, technology and education and create a call to action.  They were meant to be the start of a process that will help move our schools forward. It was the ideas presented by the likes of Lawrence Lessig, whose talk on openness is here and Chris Lehmann, who spoke about inquiry and community, that were meant to generate discussions that will help change our schools.

What TEDxNYED Was Not

TEDxNYED was not silver bullet for the future of education.  Rather, it was intended to be a starting point. The talks were a means to spread ideas that can start conversations where there may not have been one. From its inception, we wanted TEDxNYED to be about introducing ideas to educators and letting them determine how those ideas would best fit best their schools and communities. TEDxNYED was not a final answer.

It was an opportunity for people from around the globe to come together to think, connect, discuss and plan. A great example of this was a YouTube video created yesterday that explained how to use a Etherpad that was created by viewers to document the ideas at TEDxNYED.  Dan Meyer mentioned that textbooks are right in the wrong way, they provide the answers.  We at TEDxNYED did not want to provide the answers, we wanted to provide you with the platform to find your OWN answers.

Talks at TEDxNYED were not lectures.  They were not meant to teach. Rather, they were meant to be an introduction or affirmation that could lead to further investigation.

TEDxNYED was not perfect.  I started this whole roller coaster and I'll be the first to admit it.   A number of people have mentioned the lack of diversity among our speakers.  While we had an amazing group of speakers and I am truly grateful to all of them, there was a gender and racial imbalance.  This discussion about the lack of diversity is a very valid one and as I move forward with the TEDx program it will be something I will take VERY seriously.

The Next Step

This is just the beginning.  No doubt, there is room for improvement but TEDxNYED has started something.  TEDxNYED was an introduction to what is possible with the TEDx platform.  I envisioned this as a first step in using the TED brand as a way to spread ideas on improving education.  The platform may not have been perfect but as I said earlier, it was a starting point.  My dream is to improve the model and have events like TEDxNYED (TEDx events focusing on teaching and learning) in cities around the world.

The talks were meant to introduce ideas that can change education while providing a platform for attendees and viewers to connect and dream about how those ideas can be spread. We, the organizers, offered you the opportunity and the ideas.  Now it's your turn.  What are you going to do with it?  What would you do with a TEDx program to help improve education?  The potential is there.  Let's do something with it.

Thank You

This has been a life changing process for me. I am forever indebted to SO many people but I want to thank those who helped make TEDxNYED actually happen and made this such an amazing experience.  Without them, it would still just be an idea.

It was Lara Stein, the organizer of the TEDx program, who put me in touch with Chel O'Reilly, who was instrumental in helping get this ball rolling.  Once the ball was rolling, it has been the hard work and dedication of Alex Ragone, arvind grover, Karen Blumberg, Erin Mumford (I didn't forget this time), Basil Kolani, Eric Sanders, Adam Kenner, Jeff Wetiz and Lisa Chun of Elizabeth Events that not only made this experience possible but one I will never forget.  For that, I am eternally grateful.

A special thanks to Brady from the Collegiate School.  Brady was our the master of light and sound at TEDxNYED and he made everything run smoothly and run on time.  Finally, I'd like to thank all the students and teachers from Rough Cut Productions who did a phenomenal job of recording all the talks.

Finally

If you are interested in the TEDx program and want to start your own, contact tedx [at] ted [dot] com or visit their website to learn more about how to start your own "independently organized TEDx event".  If you have any questions about how this was organized or how can get involved, feel free to email me at david [at] tedxnyed [dot] com and I will be happy to get back to you.

Photo Credit: arvindgrover

Creative Commons Salon NYC

I will speaking on a panel with a couple of my of K-12 educator peers at a Creative Commons Salon NYC event focusing on Opening Education on March 3rd.

We will be a part of a night that will also include the founder of Flat World Knowledge and co-founder of Peer 2 Peer University.  The event will last from 7pm to 10pm.  Registration information can be found here.